Haven, Wilbur Fiske, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1866-1867, this wood-frame mansion at 339 Pleasant Street in Malden was constructed by local carpenter George Hanson Fall for Wilbur Fiske Haven, a well-to-do Boston hardware merchant. It rises two and a half stories from a granite basement to a slate-covered mansard roof, with octagonal bays, a porte-cochere, quoins, brackets and arched dormers. Inside, a curving mahogany stair, plaster cornices and early 1900s mantels survive despite later use as doctors' offices and two funeral homes between 1929 and 1988. A 1989 restoration added a matching rear ell and returned the house to good condition. The property is considered important as an early local example of the Second Empire style, which first appeared in Malden around 1865, and as a notable adaptive reuse. It also reflects the growth of a Victorian neighborhood near the railroad and the later 'Doctor's Row' along Pleasant Street.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an exuberant, well-crafted example of a mid-1860s mansion-scale Second Empire residence, one of the earliest of the style in Malden. It is also significant for its social history, having housed doctors' offices and funeral homes, and for a 1989 adaptive reuse restoration.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 92001659, listed December 17, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 339 Pleasant St., Malden |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | December 17, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001659 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca. 1866-1942 |
| Architect / builder | George Hanson Fall |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Second Empire |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored in 1989 and in good condition; used as corporate headquarters of a general contracting firm after serving as funeral homes from 1929 to 1988. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 42.42798, -71.07597 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 92001659.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8000187
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.